Press Release

Ryan Howard is players choice for Player of the Year and National League Outstanding Player; Albert Pujols chosen as Marvin Miller Man of the Year

MLB Players Association

NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball players named Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies as Player of the Year today when they announced the winners of the 2006 Players Choice Awards. Howard, also chosen the National Leagues Outstanding Player, helped keep the Phillies playoff hopes alive in the National League Wild Card race during the stretch run with his Major League leading 58 home runs and 149 RBI.

Howard, the NL Player of the Month for August and September, set the club record for homers in a season, surpassing Mike Schmidts mark of 48 during the 1980 season. He won the 2006 Home Run Derby at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, belting a total of 23 home runs to beat out David Wright of the Mets. The second year slugger was also selected to his first All-Star game and played in the Major League Baseball All-Star series in Japan against the Nippon Professional Baseball stars.

The 2006 Players Choice Marvin Miller Man of the Year winner is St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols. The Man of the Year award, named in honor of the MLBPAs first executive director, is given to the player in either league whose on-field performance and contributions to his community inspire others to higher levels of achievement. On the field, Pujols hit .331 with 49 home runs and 137 RBI, helping the Cardinals win the 2006 World Series. In the community, Albert and his wife Deidre are the founders of the Pujols Family Foundation, which is dedicated to the love, care, and development of people with Down Syndrome and their families. In addition to a golf tournament, Albert conducts fund raising live auctions, at which he has been known to buy some of the expensive items and then give the gifts to a child with Down Syndrome in attendance. The Pujols family dedicates their time not only to those with Down Syndrome, but also to the impoverished children and orphans of the Dominican Republic by donating money and time for education and gifts.

Chicago White Sox right fielder Jermaine Dye was selected the American League Outstanding Player after posting some impressive numbers in 2006. While batting a team leading .315, Dye smacked 44 home runs and drove in 120 runs, which placed him second in the American League in both categories. His home run total moved him into second place on the all time single season list for the Chicago White Sox franchise. Also, Dye finished in the top five for the American League in RBI, OPS (on-base plus slugging), and extra base hits. Although the White Sox fell short of the playoffs, Dye closed his season strong, hitting .329 with 24 home runs in the second half of the season, including 52 RBI in the final 57 games.

Minnesota Twins starter Johan Santana captured the American Leagues Outstanding Pitcher award by finishing the season as one of two AL pitchers with 19 wins, tying him with Chien-Mien Wang of the Yankees for the league lead. With his Major League leading 2.77 ERA, Santana was the only starter in the American League to post a sub-3.00 ERA. Santana also led the majors with 245 strikeouts. The lefty was named the AL Pitcher of the Month in July and was selected to his second career All-Star game. One of the most durable pitchers in the league, Santana propelled the Twins to the American League Central title by posting a 9-0 record and a 2.51 ERA in 13 starts from July 15-September 15. This is Santanas second Players Choice award, after being named the American League Outstanding Pitcher for the 2004 season.

For the second consecutive year, the National Leagues Outstanding Pitcher award went to the St. Louis Cardinals right hander, Chris Carpenter. Carpenter finished the season with a 15-8 record, a 3.09 ERA, second best in the NL, and 184 strikeouts. He was selected to his second straight All-Star game and was the ace of the World Series Champion Cardinals. This marks the third Players Choice award for the right hander since he was honored with the 2005 National League Outstanding Pitcher and the 2004 National League Comeback Player awards.

The National Leagues Outstanding Rookie award went to second baseman Dan Uggla of the Florida Marlins. Uggla hit .282 with 27 home runs and 90 RBI, both second among rookies. The Marlins youngster set the Marlins franchise and rookie records, as well as the Major League Baseball rookie record, for home runs by a second baseman. Uggla was named to the All-Star game and, was tabbed Co-Rookie of the Month for June along with teammate Josh Johnson. He is the second Marlin to win a Players Choice award for National League Outstanding Rookie, joining Preston Wilson who won the award in 1999.

Detroit Tigers starter Justin Verlander was named the Outstanding Rookie for the American League. The flame throwing Verlander wrapped up his first season in the big leagues at 17-9, with a 3.63 ERA and 124 strikeouts. His 17 wins led all rookies and tied him for fourth in the majors. He was honored as the American League Rookie of the Month for May and was a key component of the Tigers World Series run. Verlander is the first starter to be named the American Leagues Outstanding Rookie and only the second pitcher to win the award.

The National Leagues Comeback Player of the Year was awarded to Nomar Garciaparra of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Garciaparra came back from a string of injuries in 2005, most notably a left groin avulsion of the adductor muscle. After months of rehab, Garciaparra batted .303, slugged 20 home runs, knocked in 93 runs and was selected by the fans to the National League All-Star Team. This is Garciaparras second Players Choice award after being named the American Leagues Outstanding Rookie in 1997.

Rounding out the 2006 awards is Oakland Athletics designated hitter Frank Thomas, the Players Choice for American League Comeback Player of the Year. Thomas was plagued by a bad ankle in 2005, missing all but 34 games with two separate fractures in his ankle. This season, Thomas, in his first year with the Athletics, carried the Oakland offense by hitting .270 with 39 home runs and 114 RBI. Both his home run and RBI total were single season franchise records among designated hitters. This is Thomas fourth Players Choice Award, including his second Comeback Player award after being named the Players Choice for American League Comeback Player in 2000. Thomas also won the 1993 and 1994 American League Outstanding Player awards.

The Players Choice Awards winners are selected by all Major League players via secret balloting at ballparks under the supervision of KPMG LLP, the audit, tax and advisory firm. This years vote took place on September 12 & 13.

Each Players Choice Award winner will designate the charity of his choice to receive a grant from the Players Trust, a not-for-profit foundation created and administered by the players, in an amount ranging from $20,000 to $50,000. To date, the Players Trust has distributed over $2.75 million to 155 charities through the Players Choice Awards program. Through the Players Trust, Major leaguers contribute their time, money and celebrity to call attention to important causes affecting the needy and to help encourage others to get involved in their own communities. The Players Trust makes financial and in-kind contributions to charities around the world.